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Turning Votes Into Action

January/February 1999 IBEW Journal

Labor Turnout the Big Story in '98 Elections

In the 1998 elections in the United States, organized labor helped build a brighter future by going back to the past. The IBEW and many other unions focused their efforts on the basics of democracy - member to  member distribution of information about candidates and turning members and their families out to vote on Election Day.

The IBEW's grass roots commitment helped turn around what was supposed to be a bad year for pro-worker candidates. When the final numbers were in, candidates of both parties who ran with labor support had fared well. Virtually every Republican who received labor backing won re-election, while the Democrats picked up five seats in the House of Representatives and maintained the exact same partisan split in the Senate despite some well funded campaigns against incumbent friends of labor. These results ran counter to a 60-year historical trend where the party holding the White House lost seats in midterm elections.

The self-styled experts predicted that the 1998 midterm elections would produce a very low voter turnout, and they were right. Only 36.1 percent of eligible American voters showed up at the polls (the lowest turnout since 1942, when millions of Americans were away fighting World War II). In that context, those who were able to turn their supporters out to vote stood the greatest chance of winning. The experts also predicted that the factions of American society most opposed to President Bill Clinton would be the most motivated. In addition, the combined factors of a strong economy, congressional districts drawn to protect incumbents of both parties and the overwhelming fund-raising advantage enjoyed by incumbents made the vast majority of House seats non-competitive. The number of seats in play was smaller than it had been for years. This set the stage for a highly focused battle for control of the House and a contest to see of the majority Republicans could increase their 55-45 edge in the Senate to a veto-proof majority of 60 seats.

The experts underestimated the will of the American working family. Distaste for both the President's behavior and the maniacal pursuit of him by the extreme elements of the opposition party indeed did depress voter turnout, but those who voted expressed their desire that elected officials get on with the business of government and address issues like Social Security, education and economic growth. The biggest single reason why issues, not scandal, drove the vote is that people from union households constituted a larger part of the electorate than in previous years. Even in many races where the candidate opposed by labor won, the closeness of the vote and the strong turnout of union members sent a warning that those officials who ignore the will of working families do so at their own peril.

As IBEW International President J.J. Barry commented after the election, "What we did was simply urge our members to exercise their most cherished right in a free and democratic society, the right to vote. This is good for all of society, not just our members and their families, and it is essential to our long term goal of rebuilding labor' political strength."

International Secretary-Treasurer Edwin D. Hill said, "We have never had, and never will have, the money to compete with those who oppose the rights of working people. Only through the judicious use of our resources and the grassroots activism of our members -- coupled with vigorous organizing efforts -- can labor's voice be justly heard in present and future debates on issues of critical importance to working families throughout the United States and Canada."

 Facts and Figures from the '98 Elections

Union voters comprise 17 percent of eligible voters in the United States.

Union voters made up 24 percent of those who actually voted in 1998. In 1994, when anti-labor forces captured Congress, union households made up only 14 percent of those voting.

In congressional districts with more than 45,000 union members, turnout was up 16 percent from 1994 levels.

In California, union turnout was 59 percent. These voters re-elected pro-labor incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) and elected Democrat Gray Davis as Governor.

In Wisconsin, labor turnout was 55 percent. These voters helped re-elect threatened pro-labor incumbent Sen. Russ Feingold (D).

71 percent of union voted supported Democratic congressional candidates. 29 percent supported Republicans.

64 percent of union members said that labor's participation in politics was very important or fairly important. 34 percent said it was somewhat important or not important.

70 percent of union voters said they had received political information from their union.  

Key Races Won with Labor Support

 The following candidates -- of which the House seats listed were mentioned in the October 1998 issue of the Journal --won with labor support (state, district and winning percentage included):

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SENATE

Governors

*denotes change in party holding seat

(Ed. Note - In the October 1998 issue of the IBEW Journal, we listed numerous offices held or sought by IBEW members. We will feature a summary of those races and an updated list of IBEW members holding office in an upcoming issue.)

The 106^th Congress

U.S. Senate

U.S. House of Representatives

Workers - 32,
Anti-worker forces - 0

In Oregon, voters defeated the last "paycheck deception" measure of the year. Measure 59 lost by a margin of 51-49%, with union members voting 63-24% against it. Like 31 similar initiatives defeated in state legislatures and at ballot boxes across the United States earlier in 1998, this measure would have required that union members give written permission for their dues money to be used for broadly defined political purposes.

He's a Union Member

The biggest surprise of the year was the upset victory by former pro wrestler turned radio talk show host Jesse "The Body" Ventura, independent candidate for Governor of Minnesota. Interestingly, Gov. Ventura is a union member, having joined the Screen Actors Guild when he appeared in several films.